New Remote or Old?

My dad's showing off his new LCD tv to me. During it, I notice the remote control he's using looks shinier. So I ask him, "Is that remote new or old?" He said it was the same remote that we've had. I told him that I was asking because he looked shinier. He responded by telling me that it's because it's a new remote. Wasn't that what I asked? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that new and old aren't synonyms.